•204 NOTABLE ANTIQUITIES OF THE UNITED STATES- 



Harvard, Prof. Longfellow, Grov. Eice., Mayor Cobb, Thomas Gr. Appleton, 

 John G. Whittior, James Eussell Lowell, Rev. Dr. Vinton and Dr. Green. 



What is theDighton Eock? It is a huge granite mass lyingon the east side 

 "of Taunton Eiver, at Dighton, Mass., bearing an inscrijDtion in certain char- 

 acters which have perplexed antiquarians and novices since 1680. A popu- 

 lar fallacy ascribes the inscription to adventurous JSTorsemen, who, about the 

 year 1000 of the Christian era, visited the coast and have left the impress 

 of their names and deeds, as it is claimed, at various points. This inscrip- 

 tion has been variously pronounced Eunic, Phoenician, Indian, etc. Copies 

 were sent to the learned secretary of the society at Copenhagen, the late 

 Prof. Eafn, who pronounced it: ("Antiquitates Americanse ") a Eunic in- 

 scription dated back to the tenth century. Prof Eafn appears to have been 

 misled by the misquotation of certain characters — O E I N X — represent- 

 ing, as alleged, the name of one of the early Norsemen who navigated the 

 waters about Martha's Yineyard. 



A Phoenician origin has also been ascribed to "Writing Eock," as a 

 monument of the earliest navigators of the remarkable maritime people 

 who had passed the the Pillars of Hercules, claiming that the " pillars " oc- 

 cur among the sculptures on the rock. Notwithstanding all these diverse 

 opinions of foreign savans and home arch£eologists, the true solution of the 

 enigmatical mscription doubtless lies in the interpretation given by the late 

 Mr. Schoolcraft, who construed the principal characters to be Indian, or 

 more properly of an indigenous race — whether red men or some transitory 

 type may not be determined. Eock inscriptions are not rare. They occur 

 all over the country, from fartherest Main to the confines of our Western 

 plains. They can not be traced to the same sources ; many are due to the 

 North American Indian, while others have a much greater antiquity. Ee- 

 €ording upon stone is of very high antiquity. Ancient inscriptions are 

 found all over the East. 



Eecurring to Dighton Eock, Mr. Schoolcraft, under the guide of Ching- 

 waak, an Indian Chief, made it Muz-zin-na-bik, or rock writing of the Wabe- 

 matais. The record denotes a battle, and was made by the victorious party. 

 Washington, it has been stated, expressed the opinion while at Cambridge, 

 1789, that inscription was Indian. He had doubtless examined rock sculp- 

 ture along the upper Potomac, Monongahela, and elsevyhere in Virginia, 

 and was familiar with this style of "rock-writing." 



We present for tlie purpose of comparison several specimens of so-called 

 Indian pictographs found on rocks in various parts of the country. These 

 are properlj^ Muzzinnabiks, representing both their glyphs and pictographs. 

 The simpler forms of pictography are shown upon grave-posts. Painting 

 upon scrolls of birch bark, skins, etc., is called kekeewin, or instructions. 



Thoroughout New England numerous specimens of rock-w^riting occur. 

 Dr. Green at the Boston meeting referred to several. In the State of New 

 York there are others that could be mentioned. Along the St. Lawrence 

 .flome occur, and even amid the granite folds of the Adirondacks rock-sculp- 



